A long time ago, Elaine once worked for Donald Trump as a blackjack dealer in an Atlantic City casino.
She is twice widowed. When her first husband died of cancer, she lived in New Jersey with four young children. “It was a struggle,” she said. She moved to Southwest Florida to marry her second husband, a former high school classmate. He also passed away several years ago.
Elaine said her last job was office manager at a medical equipment supply store.
Now she is retired and living on widow’s benefits. “Things are getting tough. I do get food stamps, but they don’t cover a whole lot,” she said. “I try to stretch my money as far as I can. I don’t buy extras of anything. I don’t have credit cards. I have my mortgage, my insurances. That’s about all I can pay for.”
Elaine said getting supplemental food each month helps her survive, adding, “It helps a lot just by having extras like this. Like fruit. I wouldn’t be eating fruit if I didn’t get these cans of fruit in the program. I really can’t afford to buy fresh fruit.”